Retractable lading strap anchor



p 1 G. F. OAKLEY 2,953,104

RETRACTABLE LADING STRAP ANCHOR Filed Feb. '7, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 vmM//// L INVENTOR.

N GIIbCF'i'EOflk'GL' A++orneqs Sept. 20, 196 c. F. OAKLEY 2,953,104

RETRACTABLE LADING STRAP ANCHOR Filed Feb. 7, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IO14 f 4a i 52 f 52 v I Is I2 40 IN V EN TOR.

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. AI'Torneus United States Patent RETRACTABLE LADING STRAP ANCHORGilbert F. Oakley, Chicago, 111., assignor to MacLean- Fogg Lock NutCompany, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed Feb. 7, 1958,Ser. No. 713,822

Claims. (Cl. 105369) My invention relates to lading strap anchors, andparticularly to those of a retractable type adapted for use on flat carsand the like.

Although many attempts have been made in the past to produce completelysatisfactory lading strap anchors of the retractable type for use in carfloors, they have all been subject one or more of various deficiencieswhich have resulted in substantially less than ideal operation. Amongthese defects are, first, that even though the anchor is designed to beretractable and to lie flush with or below the surface of the fiat carfloor, retraction has not been certain without manual manipulation andindividual attention has had to be paid to the condition of each of theanchors. As a second problem, dirt, cinders, snow and ice haveinterfered with the operation of such anchors, particularly in theretraction thereof. As a third problem, anchors have been carelesslymounted on railroad cars so that they have been cramped and jammed byimproper floor board placement or the installation cost has been toohigh. Fourth, they often lack sufiicient ability to adapt themselves forloads imposed through ties extending therefrom at extreme angles.

My invention has as its object the provision of a retractable anchorwhich will solve such problems which have arisen with previously knownstrap anchors. It retracts freely and automatically. It requiresaccommodations in the 'car floor or at the side sill and yet can beemployed with a Wide variety of fastening means including steelstrapping up to the wider sizes commonly in use. It is inexpensive tomanufacture and install, and it incorporates provision for easyavailability and freedom from jamming under any circumstances of use.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and the several views of the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view illustrating a lading strap anchor embodyingmy invention both in an installation in which it is secured to the coverplate or other floor supporting member of a flat car and set within theperipheral limits of the car floor and as secured to the side sill ofthe car at one margin of the floor;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on a line 2-2 of Fig. 1,looking in the direction indicated by arrows and showing the two strapanchors of Fig. 1 in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the outer end of the strap anchorsubstantially as seen from a line 33 of Fig. 2, looking in the directionof the arrows, and wherein the anchor is broken away in part to showdetails of the structure;

Fig. 4 is a top plan View of one part of the anchor structure;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of one end of the anchor part substantiallyas viewed from a line 5-5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction indicatedby arrows;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of the anchor part shown in Figs. 4and 5; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of another part of the anchor structure.

A lading strap anchor 10, of the type herein disclosed, consists of twoparts, a fulcrum 12 and a link 14. The fulcrum is an arched memberhaving mounting feet 16 and 18 and legs 21} and 22 inclined angularlytoward one another from the feet 16 and 18 and extending from the uppersides of the feet to meet at a curved apex 24. The underside 26 of theapex is downwardly rounded in longitudinal section, as shown in Fig. 6.The undersides of the upper ends of legs 20, 22 and the apex 24 are alsorounded in transverse section, as illustrated in Figs. 3, 5 and 6 at 28.

The legs have integral shoulders 30 and 32 on the outside thereof whichproject generally horizontally from approximately the mid-regions of thelegs, so that the ends 34 thereof are in substantial vertical alignmentwith or extend slightly beyond the outside edges of the feet 16 and 18.As viewed from the top, as in Fig. 4 ,the shoulders are of generally thesame width as the legs 20 and 22. Webs 36 of thinner section extendvertically between the ends of the shoulders 34) and the outer edges ofthe feet 16 and 1-8 to support and strengthen the shoulders 38 and 32against possible breakage.

The feet 16 and 18, in my illustrated embodiment, are not identical.Foot 18 has an end portion 38 extending laterally beyond leg 22 on oneside thereof and for a predetermined distance to serve as a spacerseparating the legs of the anchor from the floor boards of the flat carto avoid the crowding of the anchor within its pocket as will besubsequently described. The projecting end portion 38 on the one sideprovides a suflicient area of attachment for anchoring of the foot 18 ofthe fulcrum to the car that extension of the extended end portion 40 ofthe foot 18 on the other side of the leg 22 need not be as long. Somedegree of extension on this side, however, is desirable to serve as aguide and retainer for the link 14, particularly when the anchor ismounted on a car side sill.

Foot 16 is provided with an extended portion 42 on only one side of theleg 20, the extension being approximately equal in length to theextended portion 38 of foot 18, but on the opposite side of leg 20. Inthis Way, the extended portions 38 and 42 on legs 18 and 16respectively, assure suificient lateral spacing of the legs 20 and 22from the floor boards or from the walls of a hole or pocket to provideadequate clearance for movement of the link 14 in any circumstance ofuse.

Foot 18, having the greater bottom area for attachment to the carsubstructure, is desirably used as the outside leg when the anchor isapplied to the car, so that it faces the periphery of the car andreceives a high proportion of loads pulling inwardly of the car. Foot 16does not project at all on the side of leg 20 opposite the projectingportion 42 as may be noted at 44, Figs. 4 and 5. Also, shoulder 30 isbevelled at its outer corner 46 opposite the extension 42 and adjacentend surface 44 to facilitate the assembly of the link and fulcrum.

The link 14, as depicted herein, is generally cylindrical in section andapproximately D-shaped in outline. It includes a straight upper segment48 and a curved lower segment 50 adjoined to the ends of the straightsegment through smoothly rounded corners. The lower segment 50 has fourstuds 52 integrally formed thereon and extending out from each side ofthe lower segment adjacent each end thereof.

Each component of the anchor, as illustrated herein, may be either castor forged. The link 14 is mounted on the fulcrum 12 by inserting theextension 42 of foot 16 into the aperture of the link, moving the linkover the other, non-extended end 44 of foot 16 and over shoulder 30, thebevelled corner 46 of shoulder 30 permitting such 3 passage. Theassembled structure takes the form illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3;

I The anchor is attached to the substructure of a flat car,

for instance, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, by welding of thehorizontal flange 64 of the outer side sill angle 60. 7

Conventional floor boards of flat cars are 2% inches thick Uppersurfaces 72 on the shoulders 30 and 32 at their highestpoints, or thepoints at which the shoulders meetthe legs and 22 are displaceddownwardly from the apex 24 of the fulcrum a distanceapproximately'equal to the thickness or diameter of the straight segment48 of the link 14. When the link 14 is not under load or has beenreleased from load, it willdrop downwardly with the straight segment 48resting on one of the legs of the fulcrum 12. The slope of the legs 20,22 adjacent the'apex 24 is such that the link will not stand on. thisportion of the legs but will slide down the legs on one side or theother of apex 24 until it meets one of and a little more than 5 incheswide. As shown in Fig. 1, a

the removal of an end portion of'a floor board provides a pocket in thefloor surface between adjacent boards which is of more than adequatewidth for the mounting of the anchortherein. The feet 16 and 18 arewelded to the exposed surface 64 of the outer side sill angle 60, thefoot 18 being secured adjacent the outside edge of the angle and thefoot 16inwardly thereof. The end of the shortened floor plank 62a issituated immediately adjacent or against the outer end 34 of shoulder30.

In the other or' 'left illustration of a mounted anchor in'Figs. 1 and2, my strap anchor is applied inwardly of the edgesof the car. In thesedrawings, center sill angles 66 support a cover plate 68 on which thefloor boards 62 rest. In this method of mounting the anchor, alignednotches 70 are cut in the facing edges of adjoining floor boards 62,which notches together define an aperture of a width, transversely ofthe car, to accommodate and receive the fulcrum from shoulder 30 toshoulder 32, and of a length, longitudinally of the car, to accommodateand receive the fulcrum longitudinally of the projecting" portions 38and 42, thereby to permit the, installation of a strap anchor therein onan accurate transverse orienta tion with respect to the car. Thisnotching out of the floor boards leaves exposed a portion of the coverplate 68, to which portion the lading strap anchor is secured, as bywelding.

It may, of course, be understood that the strap anchors are desirablylocated and secured in place on the car frame structure while theflooring is being laid and secured in place, or at least while theflooring in immediate region of the anchor is removed for cutting and tofacilitate the welding of the fulcrum. The height of the apex 24 of thefulcrum above the lower surfaces of the feet 16 and 18 is somewhat lessthan the thickness of the] adapted to receive lading ties in the form ofwire, cable,

chain or steel strapping. By virtue of the rather sharp angle at theapex of the fulcrum, it will be further evident thatthe link may movethrough a wide degree of angularity in the longitudinal plane of thefulcrum to accommodate various angles of applied tension. (Note thedotted link of Fig. 2.) Likewise, by virtue of the transverse curvature28 of the underside of the apex 24 and the curvature of the segment 50,thelink is permitted a range of movement of about 60 on either side ofvertical for transverse angularity of loading.

7 The studs 52 are directed to the performance of two functions. Whenthe transverse angularity of load exceeds about 60 away from thevertical, or in other words. in 'asituation in which the fulcrum isleast able to withstand a load concentrated at a single point, one orboth of the studs at one end of the lower segment are brought tobear-against the legs of the fulcrum in addition to the load placed onthe apex thereof, thereby to relieve the apex of the total applied'forceand distribute that force to otherpoints on'the fulcrum. The secondfunction performed by studs 52 lies in their contribution to-theautomatic retraction of the links.

the surfaces 72 0f the shoulders 30 or 32. The shoulders being spacedbelow the apex a distance at least as great as the sectional diameter ofthe straight'segment 48 and the apex being slightly below the level ofthe flat car floor, the link then necessarily will be below the level ofV floor surface, and completely out of the way. While it is willnot'impair the functioning of the anchor;

possible that the link might balance on topof the apex 24,the'equili'brium of such a balance is so unstable that the slightestjoggling of the car, whether from movement or from placing a loadthereon, will be suflicient to'jar the linkolf the apex.

The perpendicular distance from the underside of the legs 20 and 22 totheouter ends 34 of the shoulders 30 and 32 is greater than the heightof the link aperture from the straight segment 48 to the most distantportion of the lower curved segment 50. Therefore, while the link willdrop on to the surfaces 720f the shoulders 30 and 32, they cannot passover the ends thereof and the shoulders, therefore, support the link inretracted position for ready availability. Furthermore, the'outer heightof the link is desirably less than the floor board thickness, so thatthe link hangs on the fulcrum without resting on the car structure towhich the fulcrum is secured.

The studs 52 of the link '14 prevent the link from being rotated on thefulcrum more thanabout 60 in either direction, as previously mentionedherein. In other words, the studs encounter the sides of the legs 20 and22 if further rotation is attempted and prevent that rotation. If itwere not for the studs, it is evident that the link could assume, forinstance, aposition of displaced from that illustratedin full lines inFig. 3. In such case, the link could wedge down over, the apex or one ofthe legs andone corner of the link with the result that it would standabove the level of the car floor. The acute angle which the straightsegment 48 makes with .the curved segment 50 adjacent the, corners ofthe link could easily result in ajamming of the link down on one ofthelegs of the fulcrum and make dislidgment from that positionrelatively diificult either for purposes of achieving smoothness of thefloor or of drawing. the link out for anchoring purposes. By limitingthe arcuate movement of the' link on the fulcrum, the studs thus achievea double purpose of assuring full retractionof the link below the levelof the floor when the linkis released from load and assuring that thelink will occupy a position on the fulcrum where it will be loose andfree for attachment of lading ties. V

Because of the contours-of adjacent surfaces of the link and fulcrum,there is no normal or natural tendency for the link to pass overthebevelled corner 46. Furthermore, when mounted as disclosed herein, thefloor boards restrict the angularrnovements of the link relative to thefulcrum, so that the link cannot reach a position inwhich it would tendto pass over the bevelled corner 46 or become jammed, as a result ofangular movements, at the outer ends, of the shoulders. The oppositelyextending portions 42 and 38 on the feet 16 and 18 provide agaugeintegralwith the anchor structure for determining the minimum or correctspacing between-the flooring and anchor in one direction which Theextensions 38 and 42316 proportioned to determine a minimum sizedopening within which the link can freely ates under very adverseconditions.

swing from side to side and take a position angled toward the directionof extension of a lading tie which is secured thereto. It is without thepossibility of jamming or producing any sharp bends in the tie.

In contrast to other anchors which have been developed and which areintended to have retractable tie anchoring portions, it may be observedthat the anchor disclosed herein is effectively retractable to anout-of-theway position even when the pocket in which it is mountedbecomes partially filled with dirt, foreign matter, snow, ice and thelike. Thus, even when the pocket in which my anchoring device is mountedcontains a substantial amount of dirt, so that the curved segment 50cannot drop straight down, effective retraction of the link to a pointbelow the level of the car floor is obtained, since the link may andwill simply lie over. In this case, curved segment of the link shiftslaterally of the fulcrum and the straight segment 48 lies against thetop surface of one of the shoulders.

It will be evident from the foregoing description that I have provided aretractable lading strap anchor which is simple, strong, automatic inoperation and which oper- It is easily constructed, assembled andmounted. It is jam-proof in itself, and contains integral provisionagainst the possibility of jamming against other car part. It is alsodesgned to accommodate loads under extreme and compound angles.

While I have described herein one embodiment of my invention, manyalternatives to structure, application and use may become apparent. I,therefore, desire that my invention be regarded as being limited only asset forth in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A retractable lading strap anchor for attachment to the supportingstructure for the floor of a railway car or the like and comprising afulcrum in substantially the form of an inverted substantially U-shapedarch having a mid-portion of predetermined sectional size and mountingportions separated from the mid-portion and securable to the floorsupporting structure, a substantially D- shaped link having curved andsubstantially straight segments defining an opening of a size loosely toring the mid-portion of said arch, and means on said link and projectinglaterally therefrom to provide stops engageable with said arch tomaintain the straight segment of said link uppermost in relation to thefulcrum, said mid-portion of the arch having a sectional sizesufficiently smaller than the opening in said link that said link may beraised to extend substantially above the level of said arch, said archalso having shoulders on each side of said mid-portion which extendangularly and outwardly in the general plane of the arch from theexterior of the arch, said shoulders being at positions below theexterior of the mid-portion of the arch a distance at least equal to thethickness of the straight segment of the link to support the straightsegment of said link at a height no greater than that of said midportionof the arch when the link gravitates relative to the arch, and saidshoulders also extending away from opposite sides of the mid-portion ofthe arch to positions for engagement with the straight segment of thelink when the curved portion of the link either engages or gravitatesfrom the mid-portions of the arch.

2. A retractable lading strap anchor for attachment to the supportingstructure for the floor of a railway car or the like and comprising afulcrum in substantially the form of an inverted substantially U-shapedarch having legs with feed thereon for supporting the arch in an uprightposition, one of said feet having a single extension projecting to oneside of the arch, and the other of said feet having extensionsprojecting to both sides of the arch, the extensions of said feet onopposite sides of the arch being substantialyly equal in length and thesecond extension on said other foot being shorter in length than theother extensions, said legs extending con vergently upward from saidfeet and meeting at an apex, said legs having means thereon providingshoulders on the outer surfaces thereof at positions below said apex andabove the feet, a substantially Dshaped link having a straight segmentand a curved segment and having an aperture therein of a size loosely toencompass the apex of said arch and to pass over said foot having saidsingle extension, said link being loose enough on the apex of said archto permit said straight segment to be raised substantially above thelevel of said apex, said link having studs on the curved segment thereofprojecting outwardly therefrom in a direction transverse to the plane ofthe link segments at positions near the ends of said straight segment,said studs providing stops engageable with legs of thearch to preventthe passage of said curved segment of the link from between the legs ofsaid arch, and said shoulders projecting outwardly in obtuse angularrelationship to the legs of the arch on opposite sides of the apex andat a level above the feet and spaced downwardly from the top of the apexa distance at least equal to the thickness of the straight segment ofthe link to support said straight segment of said link below the levelof said apex and above said feet upon retraction of said ling to aposition of contact with the exterior of the arch, said shouldersextending outwardly from the inner surfaces of the legs on oppositesides of the apex a distance exceeding the height of the aperture in thelink.

3. A retractable lading strap anchor for mounting on railway car floorsupporting structure and the like and comprising a fulcrum insubstantially the form of an inverted substantially U-shaped arch withspaced legs adjoined through a curved mid-portion and having mountingportions at the ends thereof securable to the floor supporting structureto hold the arch in an upright position relative to the supportingstructure, a D-shaped link having straight and curved segments looselyencompass ing the mid-portion of said arch with a portion of the linkextending between the legs thereof, said link having an opening thereinlarger than the section of the arch at the mid-portion thereof and beingmovable on said arch to permit the straight segment of said link toassume a position substantially removed from the exterior of the arch,said arch having shoulders projecting outward-1y and sloping downwardlyin angular relationship to the exteriors of the legs on opposite sidesof the mid-portion thereof and at positions spaced vertically betweenthe top of said mid-portion and said mounting portions, said shouldersbeing spaced below the top of the mid-portion of the arch a distancegreater than the thickness of said straight segment of the link andengageable therewith to support the straight segment of said link atpositions below the top of the arch and above said portions at the endsof the legs when the link is free to gravitate to a normal positionrelative to the arch, and the outward V projections of the shouldersfrom the interior of the midportion of the arch exceeding the maximumdimension of the opening in the link from the curved segment to thestraight segment thereof.

4. A retractable lading strap anchor for securement to a railway freightcar and comprising, in combination, a fulcrum in the form of an invertedgenerally U-shaped arch having side legs extending in divergent angularrelationship to one another from a curved apex, a substantially D-shapedlink having curved and substantially straight segments and an openingtherein larger than the section of the curved apex of said arch, whichlink loosely encompasses the arch, means limiting movements of the linkrelative to the arch to positions in which the straight segment of [thelink is exterior to the arch, and said arch having integral shouldermeans on opposite sides of the curved apex which extend outwardly adistance from the inner surface of the curved apex a distance greaterthan the dimension of the opening between the curved and straightsegments of the link in a direction normal to the straightsegment, saidshoulder means-also having top surfaces on opposite sides of the apexofthe areh which are spaced below the top surface of the apex a distancegreater than the thickness of the straight segment- Of-fl1e v 5.- A-retractable lading strap anchor forattachment to the supportingstructure for the floor of a railway,

car or the like'and comprising a-fulcrum in substantially the form ofaninverted substantially U-shaped arch havingamid-portion of predeterminedsectional size and mounting portions separated'from the mid-portion andsecurable to the-floor supporting structure,- aiink'inthe form of aclosed loophaving curved andpsubstantially'stra'ight segments and havinganopening therein of a-size loosely of. the arch; said shoulders beingat positions below the exterior ofthe mid-portion of the arch a distanceat least equal to the thickness of the. segments of. thelink tosupport-the at a height no, greater than that ofthe; mid-portion of thearch when thelink gravitates relative. toethe arch, andsaid shouldersalso extendingaway from opposite sides of the.-midportionrof'the arch topositions for engagement with one segment of the link when an othersegmentthereof either engages-the interior-ofthe mid-portion of the archor gravitatesv from said mid portion ofthe arch. V V

'7 References Cited'in thefile of this. patent UNITED STATES PATENTS?2,047,503"

' O THERV REFERENCES; Railway Freight Traflic (publication) November,1957, page 74. 7 7

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE: CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent Ne.2953,104 September 20 1960 Gilbert F. Oakley It is hereby certified thaterror appears in the-printed specification of the above numbered patentrequiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read ascorrected below.

Column 1, line 21, for "subject one" read subject to one column 4, lines50 and 51, for "dislidgment" read dislodgment column 5, lines 26 and 27,for desgned" read designed line 74, for "substantialyly" readsubstantially column 6 line 25, for "ling" read link Signed and sealedthis 11th day of April 1961c (SEAL) Attest:

T- ID R ERNES W SW E ARTHUR w. CROCKER Attesting Oflicer ActingCommissioner of Patents

